Artifact Devouring Player-Chapter 24: Unique - (3)

[Chapter 24]

It was a repetition of hard labor.

In their previous lives, players used to call this bear stew grind.

Apparently, it was because the goal was to simmer Big Bear until it was cooked through.

Anyway, repeating this bear stew grind made Big Bear's movements inevitably sluggish over time.

Of course, it was easier said than done—it wasn't as simple as it sounded, since you had to endure that much time.

That responsibility fell entirely on Sanghyun.

Sometimes, the beast would launch crazed attacks, and then suddenly turn to target his teammates.

Pinning the monster in one place and keeping it fixed was extremely important.

In fact, it was rare for a swordsman to handle this task properly.

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Even Kim Miso had always been dissatisfied with that.

"Clean, clean."

"Unnie, isn't this almost the first time the three of us have fought while just watching over like this?"

"It's the first time in a gate or dungeon with level restrictions. It wasn't like this when we were getting carried by Jinho Oppa or Taeri Unnie, but that was because of the level gap!"

All three of them clapped genuinely, delighted at how not a speck of dust had touched their clothes.

It was comfortable.

Being able to focus solely on their own tasks was pure happiness.

And they couldn't help but feel respect for Sanghyun's skill, which had turned something

seemingly impossible into reality.

Sanghyun still hadn't reached level 40 yet.

That fact alone was undeniable proof of how impressive he was.

Kurururu! Kururu!

As Big Bear began drooling and staggering, Sanghyun sensed it was time.

Completely lost in the effects of sedation, Big Bear wore a twisted smile as things headed toward disaster.

The feeling of its body going numb seemed to bring it a strange pleasure.

'Does this freak have some weird kink for getting high on sedatives? Well, I guess it's the first time it's felt this kind of drowsiness in its life.'

Cheok!

Sanghyun immediately swapped the longsword he was holding for a greatsword.

Then, he prepared for a full charge.

He did so openly, but Big Bear merely wobbled like melted taffy.

Once enough power gathered, without hesitation, Sanghyun drove his greatsword straight into

Big Bear's abdomen.

Pook!

Kwooooah!

At the same time, freezing struck!

This was the beginning of hell.

Freeze duration: 1 second.

First stiffness: 2.4 seconds.

Guaranteed second stiffness: 2.4 seconds.

And with a 90% and 60% chance, two additional consecutive stiffnesses of 2.4 seconds each!

For over 10 whole seconds, Big Bear couldn't even twitch a claw and was relentlessly beaten.

In previous situations, a forced abnormal status removal pattern would trigger for health recovery and help overcome the stun.

But this time, deeply immersed in sedation, that pattern never activated—it was wiped from his unconsciousness.

Fwoosh! Fwack! Fwoosh!

Pook! Pshuk! Pshushuk!

In the meantime, flames surged in more than six spots, and Kim Miso's arrows struck only Big

Bear's back of the head.

It was a perfectly coordinated strike, linked with Kang Juhee's spatial ability.

Hooargh. Kuegh. Ughhh...

In an instant, Big Bear became a battered mess, staggering without being able to maintain balance.

Sanghyun gathered enough power for a full charge that could easily be considered overkill.

He was right in front of Big Bear—close enough that just a swipe of the claws would hit—but the bear was completely out of it.

Sanghyun's movements were based on an exact understanding of Big Bear's condition.

This wasn't recklessness or blind guessing.

"It was fun, you big teddy bear."

Sanghyun grinned and unleashed the intense energy gathered in his greatsword without the slightest hesitation.

Phwaaaah!

It was clean.

Like slicing through bamboo without leaving a trace, Big Bear's appearance remained unchanged.

The only difference was that Sanghyun's position had shifted from in front of Big Bear to behind him, with blood dripping from the greatsword.

Uuu?

It felt like something had just grazed iys waist, yet nothing seemed to have happened.

Since Sanghyun had been tormenting it relentlessly, Big Bear was furious beyond measure.

But seeing that even this strike had done nothing, it seemed that, as the king of bears, it truly possessed some mystical power.

Yes, I am the king of bears.

This time, I'll crush this insignificant pest in one blow with my massive paw—

Tiiing.

At that moment, Big Bear felt it.

Its perfectly balanced body suddenly tilted at an awkward angle.

And then, a red line appeared across the middle of its belly, as if tracing a path for his upper body to slide off.

The race toward death had begun.

Blood splattered everywhere as its guts spilled out, stretching and bursting while his body fell apart.

He couldn't resist, couldn't reverse it—there was nothing he could do.

Wuaaaagh!

A final scream.

Big Bear's desperate wail echoed in all directions, and that was the end.

Thud. Thump. Thump.

Its perfectly separated upper and lower halves collapsed in opposite directions, marking Big

Bear's ultimate demise.

"Oh!"

At the same time, Sanghyun let out a gasp of awe as a flood of level-up messages appeared.

His level, which had been at 35 before this battle, skyrocketed to 50 in an instant.

Of course, the gate itself was high-level, but the surge was still beyond imagination.

It was because Sanghyun had played the central role, contributing the most damage and taking on the core responsibility.

But even so, he had never experienced a jump of fifteen levels in one go.

'Barely half a month since returning, and I've already surpassed Yoon Daekyung, who struggled for two years?'

Sanghyun let out a hollow laugh.

Was this what life was?

Was this a result only possible because he had returned with knowledge of the future?

It was truly overwhelming.

In his past life, it wasn't that he didn't want this kind of growth—he simply had no idea how.

[C-grade Title, [Clever Hunter] has been granted.]

[Clever Hunter]

■ Title Grade: C

■ Title Effect: Restores 1 HP by consuming fresh blood every time you defeat a small or larger monster.

'I didn't hear anything about a title back then. Did it drop because I killed him so quickly?'

In his past life, when Sanghyun checked the future reference guide on the Chunui Station Gate, there had been no mention of a title.

Normally, experienced players left testimonies since it was impossible to obtain it after a certain time had passed.

This title had no prior information.

On top of that, Sanghyun was the only one to acquire it.

'Restoring 1 HP when defeating small monsters? That's practically becoming a life-steal swordsman.'

In a reality where it was difficult to find healer players, this was an incredibly valuable title.

Having more ways to restore health meant being able to fight more aggressively.

Usually, poor health management was the cause of countless failures in dungeon or gate raids.

'A life-steal swordsman... That's the signature concept of Sword Devil Dokgo Yoon. But I'm going to claim it first.'

Later, Dokgo Yoon would obtain a unique epic-grade artifact known as the Blood-Drinking Sword.

One of its options restored 2 HP upon killing a monster.

Compared to that, Sanghyun's effect restored 1 HP, but the crucial difference was that an epic-grade artifact had an average market value of over 130 billion won.

In other words, this Clever Hunter title was worth at least half of that—around 65 billion won.

Shaaaa. Shaaaa.

And above the corpse of the dead Grizzly Big Bear, a rainbow-colored glow flickered.

It was the peculiar light that signaled the acquisition of an artifact.

Touching it would activate a special window, delivering rewards directly from the system.

"Sanghyun-ssi! You did an amazing job! It's the first time we've cleared a gate with such clean clothes and bodies!"

Kim Miso, who had rushed over in one breath, reveled in the joy of the successful raid, her face glowing with excitement.

As always, the gate challenge had been nerve-wracking, but this time, it had ended more smoothly than ever before.

If they could explore all unidentified gates this easily, it would be like a dream come true.

In reality, the survival rate for players venturing into gates—not dungeons—was 90%.

This meant that, on average, one out of every ten players who entered would die.

However, if they could clear gates the way they did today, there would be no fear of death at all.

"If it weren't for Sanghyun-ssi, we wouldn't have even been able to establish a strategy to tackle Big Bear. Honestly, who would believe that we cleared a boss monster without worrying at all?"

Park Taeseok bowed deeply, folding over like a flip phone, showing sincere gratitude.

In the player world, where selfishness and individualism ran rampant, it was rare to meet such a well-mannered player.

Sanghyun also felt a deep sense of satisfaction from Taeseok's heartfelt thanks.

"To be honest, if Miso Unnie and Taeseok Oppa don't mind, I'd really like to keep going with Sanghyun-ssi. I'll even give up some of my share if I have to."

Of the three, Kang Juhee showed the most enthusiastic response.

It was her way of expressing gratitude toward Sanghyun, who had made full use of her spatial abilities.

Until now, she had often been disregarded as someone who only laid out complicated space paths while pretending to be flashy on her own.

Such unfortunate incidents always seemed to happen whenever someone other than Kim Miso or Park Taeseok participated.

But Sanghyun had praised her strategy as fine play and fully utilized her abilities, leaving her deeply moved.

"First, let's all grab the light source. Since it activates according to the number of people, the rewards won't get messed up."

Sanghyun confidently grabbed the light source.

It was time to claim the sweet reward for clearing the gate.

[Player 'Shin Sanghyun' has been granted a Unique-grade Artifact.]

[You may choose one from the following list of Artifacts.]

'Unique!'

Sanghyun's eyes widened.

He had expected it, but the weight of a Unique-grade artifact was overwhelming.

With an average market value of 25 billion won, a Unique-grade artifact was certainly not easy to obtain.

"Greatsword"

Among the various weapon categories, Sanghyun immediately focused on the one he had been eyeing from the start.

Although he could wield all types of swords—including longswords and daggers—he was most familiar with the greatsword.

[The Goddess of Luck is delighted that you will finally witness her true nature.]

'Right! Unique artifacts always unlock hidden effects, don't they?'

With the sudden message from the Constellation, Sanghyun checked the relevant terms of his contract.

Second: When acquiring an artifact of Unique-grade or higher, the hidden effect will be unlocked and inherited.

The privilege of unlocking hidden effects.

Among the four peculiarities gained through his contract with the Goddess of Luck, this was the most enticing.

Sanghyun immediately chose the greatsword.

A faint violet light began to flash, and soon, a greatsword appeared in Sanghyun's hands.

It wasn't the rough old greatsword he had been using—it was a newly acquired Unique-grade artifact.

What caught Sanghyun's attention wasn't the artifact's grade or stats but its additional hidden effect.

■ Special Effect - Knockback Burst

'As if freezing and stiffness weren't enough, now I have knockback too?'

With the hidden effect unlocked, Sanghyun discovered an entirely new and unexpected path ahead.

[The Goddess of Luck sincerely suggests that you try calling her "Noona" just once.]

Among countless hidden effects, this option felt eerily tailored just for him.

"Noona, Goddess...!"

He couldn't hold back.